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Chris
“After you, Butterfly.” Standing at the end of a row of folding chairs, I hold my arm out for Cypress to sit. Taking my seat next to her, I place my hand against my daughter’s back, keeping her nestled against my chest. We’ve come a long way in the time since I rescued Cypress from her crazy family and made her my wife.
We purchased our house and moved out of the apartment building less than two months after we got married. Matt was a huge help when it came to looking for a house and, of course, we bought one of his recent flips. I refused to let him cut us a deal on the price and paid exactly what he was asking for it. The house is perfect with three bedrooms and two bathrooms on a private lot just outside of Echo Park.
I let Cypress have creative freedom with decorating our home and have been pleasantly surprised at the outcome. Gone forever are the dark curtains covering the windows and blocking out all outside light. She no longer feels the need to look in dark corners for peeping eyes or hidden spaces. Instead, our windows are covered with sheer fabrics in a variety of colors. Light shines in every window freely and livens up the entire space.
And my Butterfly flies freely, living brightly with a smile on her face every day. I like to think I have something to do with that, with her never ending happiness.
Our daughter, Meadow Blossom, was born exactly four weeks ago today in a whirlwind of events leading up to her birth. Cypress was miserable and already past her due date by four days. She had been nesting, desperately trying to make sure everything was ready for the baby to arrive. We had opted not to find out what we were having until the delivery and had decorated the nursery in a variety of pastel colors. It was exactly as I had imagined it would be coming from Cypress’ imagination.
Cypress was in the middle of folding the baby blankets to place on top of the armoire for the millionth time when she stopped dead in her tracks, her hand going to her rounded belly. She didn’t say anything as she looked at me standing in the doorway, her eyes open wide in surprise. Looking down her body, I could see the wetness soaking her lounge pants, and I knew it was time to go.
I went through the motions, helping Cypress to clean up enough to sit in the car, helping her change her clothes into something loose fitting and dry. The go-bag was already in the back of the SUV waiting for us to go to the hospital.
Cypress was amazing throughout the entire experience. She had read every book available on the subject of childbirth, and we had taken several classes together.
My anxiety burned through my veins as I walked into the hospital with Cypress in my arms, but I kept it maintained. She didn’t need to know that I was a wreck beneath the surface. She needed me to be strong, to carry her through this to the other side.
She was a warrior, one like I had never witnessed, and I couldn’t be prouder of her than I was in the moment that she pushed our five-pound eight-ounce daughter into this world. Meadow shrieked proudly, announcing her arrival, and it was the greatest sound I’d ever heard.
When they placed that tiny purple baby on Cypress’ chest, my heart nearly skipped right out of my chest. I thought the day I married Cypress in that chapel in Vegas was the best day of my life, but I was wrong. Seeing that little human, the tiny creature that we had created together, was the best day of my life. I couldn’t have stopped the tears from flowing if I had tried, and I didn’t want to. I wanted the world to know how happy I was in that moment.
Cypress no longer teaches at the yoga studio, Celestial Beings, but she does still run her boutique. Though, now she works only part time. She hired a friend to help during the week, one of the ladies that was rescued with her from the cottage in the desert. Jodi was there with Cypress, the one helping to protect the unconscious ladies in the corner of the back room. She and Cypress continued a friendship that grew in the time they were together.
Cypress told me about Jodi a few days after we got back home from Vegas. She told me her history, about having lost her family to a drunk driver, and how she was toeing the line of being suicidal. Cypress had helped to keep that woman alive – the strong, caring person that she is always putting the well-being of everyone else over herself. She forged a friendship with Jodi that I believe aided in her fight to survive and continue living after her rescue.
Jodi has continued to be an asset to Cypress’ shop and is a marketing genius on social media. Because of her marketing campaign, the shop has constant visitors and is continuously needing to increase its inventory. Cypress and Jodi have also started a weekly seminar in the back room that invites people of all ages to come and learn the art of tie dying fabrics. Needless to say, our daughter has some of the most colorful baby clothes of any baby on the Southern California coastline.
Meadow stirs against my chest, and I tighten my hold on her, swaying slightly side to side. This is my favorite place for my daughter to sleep, against my chest or curled up in my arms. There have been several nights in the past four weeks that Cypress has wandered into the nursery and caught me lounging in the glider rocker with Meadow curled up on me. I’ve opened my eyes and found her leaning against the doorway wiping tears from her cheeks as she watches the two of us together.
I’ve been told that I’m spoiling my little Flower. But I don’t care. My daughter will never go a day without knowing that she is loved. Neither will her mother.
Cypress places a hand on my thigh, and we watch together as our friends begin to walk through the yard. We’re back at Devan’s house, in his back yard, on this beautiful winter afternoon. The weather is a comfortable sixty-seven degrees, and the sun is shining brightly. The familiar deck has been replaced over the pool and the entire yard decorated with bright yellow flowers and sparkling fabrics draped over every surface.
Devan and Matt walk out of the house together, side by side, and saunter between the rows of chairs. Matt has his hair pulled back in a low ponytail and a yellow daisy pinned to his lapel. I watch as both men stand in front of the arbor, on the deck that Matt built to cover the pool. The music changes soon after and everyone stands, me included with Meadow still sleeping peacefully against my chest. We turn just as Julie walks out of the house, her dress a cotton candy pink that reminds me of Marie’s hair. She’s carrying a small bouquet of yellow daisies. I watch as she smiles at us as she walks by.
Continuing to stand, we watch as Marie emerges from the house. She looks like a princess in her sleeveless dress, the skirt long enough to hide her feet. There’s a single yellow ribbon wrapped around her waist, matching the yellow daisies in her bouquet. The stem of her flowers wrapped in a bright blue ribbon.
The ceremony is short, followed by dancing and cake. Meadow makes her rounds as Matt, Devan, Julie, and even Marie take turns cuddling her. She doesn’t mind in the least, being the mild tempered baby that she is. She is every bit her mother in that regard.
Cypress and I watch, my arm wrapped around her waist and pulling her into my side, as everyone oohs and awes over Meadow’s outfit. It’s amazing to me how small her dresses are, she just did top out over seven pounds at her checkup this week. Her dress is a swirl of colors, courtesy of her mother of course, and she has a purple flower banded around her full head of baby-fine dark blond hair. Her hair is just a shade darker than mine, a perfect mix of both of us. But she did get my bright green eyes, which I am grateful for. I’m the only one in my family to have inherited my great-grandfather’s green eyes and I can’t think of a single person that I would want to have shared them with then my beautiful Flower.
Keeping one eye on my Flower, I place a hand on Matt’s shoulder, my other hand grasping his in a firm shake. “Congratulations, man.”
“Thank you,” he answers in return. The smile on his face is quickly becoming a permanent feature and I realize how nice it is to see my friends so happy. We’ve all come so far in the last year. “Congratulations to you, too.” He surprises me.
Cocking my head to the side, I turn my full attention to him. “For?”
“Everything. You have a beautiful family, man. That baby of yours is the sweetest little thing I’ve ever seen.”
“Thank you.” Grinning from ear to ear, I agree with him fully. That beautiful family he’s speaking of is mine. Sometimes I have to fight not to pinch myself for fear that if I wake up it’ll all disappear. If all of this is just a dream, then let me slumber peacefully for the rest of time.
It’s late by the time we get back to the house. We stayed for most of the reception after the wedding ceremony. Cypress was having a wonderful time being able to laugh freely with her friends. It had been so long since she’d felt free enough to do so, there was no way I could pull her away from that.
Just before it started to get dark, Meadow began to get fussy. Cypress carried her off inside Devan’s house and fed her before changing her diaper. She fell back asleep shortly after with a full tummy.
Walking into the house, I carry my Flower to her nursery to lay her down in her crib. She’ll probably be awake again in a few hours for another feeding, but for now, I have Cypress to myself. Even though she hasn’t been cleared yet by the doctor, I look forward to being able to cuddle up with her on the sofa and wrap my arms around her. We don’t need the intimacy of sex to show each other how in love we are.
I sit on the couch, my shoes laying in the corner by the front door and wait for Cypress to get back from changing her clothes. She returns a few minutes later, her hair pulled up in a messy bun on top of her head, wearing a loose-fitting t-shirt and yoga pants. The outfit that has slowly become her normal daily wear since coming home from the hospital with Meadow. Smiling, she walks across the room and sits next to me, close enough that our thighs are touching. I reach up to pinch her chin between my fingers when we’re interrupted by a knock on the door.
“I’ll get it.” Leaning over, I kiss Cypress on the temple before standing to wander to the front door. “Ethan.” I greet as I open the door and find the detective from San Bernadino standing on my front porch, his arms crossed over his chest in an intimidating stance. “What brings you all the way out here?”
“I wanted to stop by and offer my congratulations. I haven’t seen you in a while.”
“Great timing. We just got home from a wedding not long ago. Come on in.” Standing back, I swing my arm out inviting Ethan into our home. “How’d you know where I live?”
“Seriously? You think you’re the only one good at your job?” He winks at me as he walks past, into the living room. He stops when he sees Cypress sitting on the couch, her knees pulled up to her chest with her crochet Afghan laying over them. She is flipping channels on the tv mindlessly looking for something to keep her attention until Meadow wakes up for her last feeding for the night.
Cypress looks up as we walk into the room and freezes, dropping her feet to the floor. “You,” she gasps as she stands, the remote control slipping from her fingers and bouncing off the surface of the coffee table before landing on the floor.
My gaze shifts from Ethan to Cypress and I watch as she starts to sway. I’m to her in two strides, wrapping my arms around her waist and pulling her against me. “Butterfly? Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” she answers weakly. “I know you.”
I furrow my brows in confusion and look from Cypress to Ethan and back again. Turning back to Ethan, I watch as he struggles to control his movements.
“I’m sorry,” he says to Cypress as he begins winking repeatedly, his hands fisting and unfisting at his sides. “I didn’t know who you were at the time.” He winks again and I feel Cypress relax against me.
“Wait,” I loosen my hold on Cypress but don’t move away from her. “How do you two know each other?”
“Would you like a drink?” She offers Ethan, always the perfect hostess.
“I’ll get it.” Stepping back, I watch as Cypress sits back on the couch and gestures for Ethan to sit across from her in the armchair. “Iced tea, okay?” I wait and both Cypress and Ethan nod in agreement but neither of them says anything to each other. Ethan is still winking uncomfortably as he sits across from Cypress. I watch as he fists his hands together in his lap before I turn to walk to the kitchen.
When I return with three glasses of tea, Cypress already has coasters on the coffee table. I place each glass down on a coaster before sitting next to her and pulling her into my side.
“So,” I say as I reach for my glass to take a sip. “You want to tell me what you’re really doing here, Ethan?”
“I came to apologize.” He takes a sip of his own tea before setting it back down on the table. “To you.” He nods his head in Cypress’ direction before winking a few more times. “I really didn’t know it was you when I came into your shop with Tammy.”
“I’m confused. You know Chris?” She asks him. She places a hand on my leg, and I wrap my arm around her shoulder and pull her tighter into my side.
“Butterfly. Ethan is a detective in San Bernadino. He’s been working with me on the trafficking case, and he was there when we found you and other ladies in Nevada.”
“Yep.” Ethan agrees. “Tammy is my partner. She and I were in Echo Park the day we came into your shop following a lead on your stepfather’s truck.”
“It’s my mother’s truck.” Cypress interrupts.
“Right. Well, we had a witness from Nevada that had reported seeing the truck and we had tracked it to Echo Park. We were there following that lead and Tammy saw your shop and wanted to stop in to look around. I didn’t know who you were at the time.” He winks once more before sitting back in his seat.
“Well, to be honest, Chris and I had just met the day before you came into the shop. We weren’t even dating yet at that point.” She giggles softly and I watch as Ethan finally starts to relax, his ticks subsiding. “You kind of freaked me out that day.”
“I know.” Ethan chuckles and Cypress giggles again. “I have that effect on people.”
“He really does.” I finally relax into my seat and chuckle softly. “You should have seen it when I first met him.”
“Oh, my God.” Cypress throws her head back and laughs this time. “I can only imagine.”
The monitor on the coffee table begins to light up and we hear Meadow beginning to squeak out from the nursery. “I’ll get her.” I stop Cypress from standing by placing my hand on her leg. “You stay here and relax a little bit longer.” Leaning over, I kiss her again on the temple before whispering in her ear. “I’ll go pick you a Flower.”
Cypress laughs heartily as I stand and walk up the stairs toward the nursery. The squeaking cry gets louder the closer I get, and I walk in to find Meadow in full bloom, her arms and legs swinging wildly in her crib. “Oh, look at you!” I coo as I stand over her crib. “What kind of Flower are you tonight?” I reach in, a smile on my face, and pick Meadow up to cuddle her against my chest. “You’re as bright as a poppy tonight.” I pat her back and bounce while shift from one foot to another as I make my way to the changing table. “Let’s get you cleaned up and then you can see mommy.”
I make quick work of changing her diaper and getting her in a clean and dry nighty. It’s like wrangling an octopus with as wildly she continues to swing her limbs, but I manage while keeping a smile on my face the entire time. She finally calms down when I pull her back up to my chest, one hand behind her head and the other on her butt. I walk with her back down the stairs and into the living room and pause at the foot of the stairs as both Ethan and Cypress are staring at me.
Shit. I realize to myself that they heard my entire exchange with Meadow through the monitor that I forgot to turn off. “That’s eavesdropping.” I laugh as I walk across the room and sit back on the couch.
“I didn’t mind in the least.” Ethan chuckles from his chair.
“Is she hungry?” Cypress asks, her hand held lightly against Meadow’s back.
“She was dirty.” I wrinkle my nose as I look at Cypress and she giggles again. Meadow shifts against my chest, and I know she’s ready for her mommy, so I loosen my hold on her and hand her to Cypress’ waiting hands. She already has the blanket tossed over her shoulder and a pillow in her lap. As always, I watch in awe as she effortlessly positions our Flower in her arms, her forearm resting against the pillow.
“Well, that’s my que. I’ll leave you three for your family time. I just wanted to stop by and meet you officially Cypress. And to apologize of course.”
“You don’t have to go.” Cypress tells him as he stands.
“It’s late.” He steps over and places a hand on Cypress’ shoulder. “You have a beautiful daughter. I’m happy to see that everything worked out for you.”
“Thank you.” Cypress looks up at him, her eyes glistening with emotion. “For everything.”
“Of course.” He steps away from her and walks around the couch toward the entryway.
“Thanks for stopping by.” I stand and walk with him to the door. “Don’t be a stranger. Okay?” I reach out and shake the hand he offers as we reach the door.
“Congratulations, man. You have a beautiful family. Take care of them.”
“I certainly will.” I watch as Ethan walks out to his car without saying another word. When he backs out of the driveway, I close the door and go back to the living room to sit next to my girls.
“Ya know,” Cypress begins as I pull the blanket away from her shoulder and watch as she feeds my daughter. “For California being the third largest state in the union, it sure is a small world.”
“You think so?”
“Well, yeah. Think about it. You know Marie and Julie from work. I met them at Celestial Beings when they took one of my yoga classes. You became friends with their husbands after helping them on their case. You know Wendy from work, and she happens to be one of Marie’s best friends. I met Ethan when he came into my shop with his partner back when you and I first met, and he ends up being a detective that you’ve worked with. So many coincidences. Small world.”
“Yeah.” I run my hand over Meadow’s hair. “I guess it is.” When I look up, I see Cypress smiling at me.
“I love you, Chris.”
“I love you too, Butterfly.” Meadow wraps her fingers around my index finger and tightens her hold, not willing to let me go. “I love you too, my little Flower.”
Everything that I’ve gone through over the years, everything that I’ve learned in my work. It all brought me to this moment in my life. A moment that I wouldn’t change for anything. My friends, my family.
I’m the happiest man in the world.